Chapter 101 Misfortune
Quinley's mind went completely blank. She had no idea David had once been involved with Susan.
In that moment, time seemed to freeze. All she could feel was her heart pounding relentlessly in her chest.
"Lisa, David brought his fiancée home today. Why bring this up? If Quinley hears, then he'll..." Helen's voice dropped off, and Quinley couldn't make out the rest.
"Quinny, are you okay?" David's voice came from outside. Quinley hadn't locked the bathroom door, so he pushed it right open.
"I'm fine." Quinley slowly stood up, her face pale as paper.
"It's my fault. I should've told my mom ahead of time that you can't eat seafood right now, given your condition." David spoke considerately.
"Hey Dad, do you know something major happened today?" Back at the dining table, Lisa's voice rang out dramatically.
"What happened? You make everything sound like the end of the world. When are you going to learn some maturity?" The response came not from George, but from Sophia.
David helped Quinley walk back to the table, where Sophia had prepared some noodles for her. "It's this stupid boy's fault—about to be a father and didn't even tell us! Now that you're pregnant, no more seafood. Have some noodles for now, and I'll make you special soup tonight."
Lisa shot Quinley a withering look. "Mom, she hasn't even said she's staying for dinner. Why are you trying so hard?"
"Shut up!" David snapped back.
George, who'd been silent at the head of the table, finally spoke. "You said something major happened today. What is it?"
Everyone's attention shifted back to that question. Lisa's gaze landed on Quinley, her eyes gleaming with meaning. Quinley could feel Lisa's innate hostility toward her, but she had no idea that what Lisa was about to say involved Zachary.
"The Jennings family has been turned upside down! Zachary got kicked out of Apex Global Group, and Landon's about to take over as CEO. Isn't that explosive news?"
"I heard about that too. The media's going crazy with it—it might actually be true. Once William died, Zachary's luck ran out," Helen chimed in.
Quinley sat there calmly, but inside, waves of shock crashed through her. Everything that should and shouldn't have happened had all come to pass.
She pretended nothing was wrong and buried herself in the noodles, but after just one bite, nausea hit her again. She quickly covered her mouth and rushed back to the bathroom. Behind her, Lisa's sarcastic voice rang out once more.
"See? I told you there was something off about them, but you wouldn't believe me. Look at her—the second she hears something happened to Zachary, her face goes white."
"Lisa, watch your mouth," Sophia finally intervened.
The meal left everyone uncomfortable. When they left the Brown residence, Quinley had no energy left. David played his part well, putting his arm around Quinley's shoulders as they got in the car. Once they'd driven away from the Brown estate, Quinley pushed his hand away.
"What's wrong?" David asked.
Quinley shook her head. "Not feeling well. Let me rest a bit."
The physical discomfort was real, but the emotional turmoil was worse. She couldn't bring herself to ask David about his relationship with Susan—her mind was completely occupied with the news about Zachary stepping down as CEO of Apex Global Group.
Was Zachary okay right now? Logic told her this wasn't her concern anymore, but emotions wouldn't stop worrying about him.
When they reached the Elikin family home, David entered as the future son-in-law. Colin and Marlee had already approved of him, and now they were even more delighted. After dinner, David drove Quinley back to her downtown apartment.
Her spirits remained low throughout, and David seemed to sense something, though he didn't call her out on it. When they arrived, he wanted to walk her up, but she refused.
"It's late. You should head home." She headed toward the building entrance without looking back.
David stood with one hand in his pocket. He couldn't help himself—he had to ask. "Do you regret it?"
Regret what, exactly? Regret leaving Zachary? Or regret choosing him?
Quinley's steps faltered slightly. She stopped, turning back to look at David with a faint smile on her lips. "Dr. Brown, what exactly do you think I regret?"
She threw the question back at him, deliberately ambiguous. When it came to word games, Quinley had nerves of steel. Even Zachary might not be her match, let alone David.
"As long as you don't regret it. Zachary can barely protect himself right now. Quinny, I don't want you getting dragged into his mess. You understand, right?"
He was essentially telling her to keep her distance from Zachary. It was both well-meaning and controlling.
Quinley's greatest strength was understanding everything without letting on. "I won't. Don't worry. It's really late, and I'm tired. I want to get some rest. Good night, Dr. Brown."
Quinley said goodbye and disappeared into the building entrance. David didn't leave until Quinley's window lit up.
In her study, Quinley sat at her computer, scrolling through news about the Jennings family conflict. She read every article, whether accurate or not.
Zachary had truly lost. Apex Global Group's official website had announced his resignation, and the biggest beneficiary, Landon, had already taken over as CEO.
That will had only been revealed a week ago, yet he'd been exposed as having a nearly five-month-old illegitimate child. To outsiders, this wasn't particularly surprising—rich playboys getting into scandals and knocking up a few women was nothing new.
What was strange was how convenient the timing was. Quinley felt something was off about the whole thing, but she wasn't a cop or a detective. She could only suspect subjectively without making objective judgments.
That night, Quinley listed her downtown apartment online for $700,000. The price wasn't high, and by early the next morning, realtors were already calling to schedule viewings.
Downtown apartments were always in demand—great location, good school district, convenient transportation. By the end of the morning, three different agencies had come to see the place.
She was supposed to meet David that day to take wedding photos. Strangely, David never contacted her, and Quinley was so busy she completely forgot about it herself.
Fortunately, that afternoon, a realtor contacted Quinley saying a client wanted to buy the apartment. Things moved remarkably smoothly—the buyer paid a $200,000 down payment upfront, with the balance to be paid in full once the transfer paperwork was completed.
Quinley hadn't expected selling the place would be this easy. She went to the supermarket to buy packing materials. Anything she needed to keep went into bags; anything she couldn't take stayed in the apartment.
She worked until late into the night without realizing it. Eventually, exhausted, she collapsed on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
She remembered how thrilled she'd been when Zachary first gave her the keys to this apartment. In that moment, she'd thought he wanted to give her a home. She'd carefully decorated every corner, like any girl in love, hoping for that man's affection.
What Quinley got instead of the love she wanted was the harsh, naked reality. Just a substitute—when it came down to it, she'd been the cuckoo in someone else's nest.
So selling this place shouldn't feel like a loss.
Early the next morning, David showed up again. He kept pounding on the door.
When Quinley opened it, he immediately spread his arms to hug her, but one cold look from her stopped him in his tracks.
"Quinny, you've finally decided to move in with me?" David's eyes immediately spotted the packed bags, his roguish gaze flooding with delight.
"In your dreams. I'm just planning to stay with my parents for a while." Quinley didn't mention selling the apartment.
"That's such a hassle! Once we're married, you'll have to move in with me anyway. Quinny, if you can't bear to leave your parents, why don't they move in with me too? I've got plenty of space—the whole family living together would be so lively!"
David loved thinking out loud. Quinley didn't indulge him. "We'll talk about it later."
After receiving that $200,000 last night, Quinley had messaged Lauren to arrange meeting today at 4 PM to process her resignation. When Quinley arrived, Lauren had stepped out and hadn't returned yet.
Quinley waited at her old desk, not expecting disaster to strike from above.